Stick a fork in it: ASU beats UA for rights to Territorial Cup
ASU rallies to win as questions on future swirl
Security personnel loosened the goal posts just in case the sold-out crowd had any ideas. Players celebrated on the field. Arizona State coach Todd Graham walked over to the crowd, kissed a game ball and threw it into the seats, a ritual after every win.
Arizona State, picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 South, secured second place Saturday with a 42-30 win over rival Arizona in front of 59,385 fans at Sun Devil Stadium. The Territorial Cup win pushed the Sun Devils to 7-5 and 6-3 in conference play and positioned them for a better bowl game next month.
“I’m just so proud of our football team,” Graham said. “I’m sitting here looking at this Cup and I’ve kissed it about five times already. I’m proud of Sun Devil nation, man. They were awesome tonight. What a great atmosphere. Got that Cup back to where it belongs.”
ASU overcame a sluggish start to beat the Wildcats, who dropped to 7-5 and 5-4. The Sun Devils took advantage of an injury to Arizona star quarterback Khalil Tate and faulty special teams. They rode senior running back Demario Richard, the Bob Moran Player of the Game.
For a program coming off back-toback losing seasons, it was a great finish to a regular season that had its share of hurdles.
Even so, it might not be enough to save Graham, who’s had his job security questioned since last season’s Territorial Cup. After the contest, a source close to the situation said he thought Vice President of Athletics Ray Anderson already had made up his mind to replace the sixthyear coach.
Approached by azcentral sports after the game, Anderson declined comment.
In the postgame news conference, azcentral sports asked Graham if he expected to return next season. The coach’s answer: “Yes, I do. I think we’re making progress where we need to be. But tonight’s about the Territorial Cup and about winning this last game for these seniors.”
If this is indeed it, Graham can feel good knowing he beat ASU’s rival four times in six tries. This contest has a way of erasing bad memories, of making average seasons seem not so average. After a slow start, trailing 14-0, junior quarterback Manny Wilkins jump-started ASU with a perfect 48-yard strike to redshirtfreshman Frank Darby. That led to ASU’s first touchdown, injecting life into the home crowd.
But it was the third quarter that changed the game.
With Tate sidelined after halftime – Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez said the quarterback “nicked up” his left (nonthrowing) shoulder in the first quarter but played the rest of the first half – ASU seized. Freshman Curtis Hodges blocked a punt that led to a score that cut Arizona’s lead to 24-21.
Three plays later, junior safety DeMonte King intercepted a Brandon Dawkins pass that set up the go-ahead score, a short Wilkins pass to sophomore receiver N’Keal Harry that gave the Sun Devils their first lead, 28-24. By quarter’s end, ASU had run off 21 unanswered points, taking a 35-24 advantage and putting the ball in the capable hands of Richard, who rushed for 166 yards on 22 carries.
Dawkins broke loose early in the fourth, bolting 50 yards for a touchdown, but ASU put the game away with four minutes left, Wilkins hitting Harry for the second time.
After a solid start, Arizona wilted after Tate’s injury. The special-teams miscues – the Wildcats later botched a second punt and had a punt return for a touchdown nullified by a penalty – didn’t help.
“We are a Division I team and we can’t cut a snap and punt the ball,” Rodriguez said.
The next few days will be interesting for ASU football. If Anderson has made his decision, the school has no reason to wait. It can go ahead and start the transition as others already have. It’s also possible, however, that Saturday’s win will give the athletics director pause. As the night unfolded, the hashtag #KeepToddGraham popped up on social media. The coach made his stance clear. “I think we’ve made great strides,” Graham said. “I’m really proud of this senior group getting this thing back on track where it needs to be. I want to take these guys to a bowl game and go get our eighth win.”